31
Ning Gu had been lying in the middle of the tunnel for a long time. He was not as capable as Lian Chuan, so he had no idea how much time had passed. Without three meals a day to refer to, he could only roughly estimate that it had been more than ten hours.
Because he was very hungry, at least the kind of hunger that comes from not having eaten for two meals.
He fished out a box of rations, opened it and took out a piece.
Only then did he understand Lian Chuan's painstaking efforts. If he had known from the beginning that there were four boxes of rations, he might have eaten them all before reaching the exit.
Of course, it is also possible that Lian Chuan simply forgot that he had stolen four boxes.
However, this way of planning eating is still very helpful for Ning Gu, at least it can help him hold on until he gets out.
But I’m not sure where to find food outside.
The main city was heavily guarded, especially now that they had only found Lian Chuan.
After he went out, he not only had to find food, but also had to avoid various armed forces in the main city. His own abilities were also very erratic, and he still didn't know the conditions and methods to activate them, let alone what they were for...
I used "Go Play With Shit" twice, once it worked and once it didn't.
I dare not use it for the third time. Insulting the opponent like this when the situation is tense, if it still doesn't work, it will simply accelerate the process of death...
Never mind. There’s no point in thinking so much. Let’s just go out and talk about it first.
After finishing a box of rations, Ning Gu lay back on the ground and slowly moved towards the exit. He could see the black fog outside. He stopped and slowly moved back to the middle of the tunnel.
Out of extreme boredom, he rubbed it back and forth about a dozen times, and only stopped when he felt his clothes were worn out.
I'm sleepy.
He closed his eyes.
I don’t know how Lianchuan is doing now.
Are you still alive
Were you caught...
No, he was caught when he went out.
Has he achieved his goal now
Will I be punished if I am caught? Will I have food to eat
"Lian Chuan wants to see Minister Chen," Xiao Lin frowned, "The outer defense of the City Affairs Office has been deployed, but my advice is not to go."
"I have to go," Minister Chen straightened his clothes, "I have to solve the problem."
"The purpose of our operation this time is to find out what Lian Chuan did in Lost Valley," Xiao Lin said. "There must be a reason why he was able to escape unscathed. Whether it's because of his strong mental strength or something else, he must undergo a memory check as soon as possible. Do you have any objection?"
"That's the theory," Minister Chen replied, "but coercive measures are not the best option at the moment."
Xiao Lin didn't say anything. This reason couldn't convince him.
The main city has always wanted to change the situation that is restricted by the uniqueness of Betelgeuse and completely eliminate the hidden danger of Lianchuan getting out of control as the strongest individual that cannot be replicated.
Finding a replacement and destroying Lianchuan and Ninggu is the greatest hope.
When Lian Chuan received the task of bringing Ning Gu back even if he had to enter the Lost Valley, he was already aware of this relationship, so he would not easily hand Ning Gu over to the main city, nor would he leave Ning Gu to the poet.
He not only has to prove that he is irreplaceable, but also has to remove all obstacles that threaten him.
The deployment of patrol teams and city guards in the past few days is to control Lianchuan as soon as possible and obtain first-hand information.
Now Lian Chuan suddenly appeared alone, obviously he had reached some kind of consensus with Ning Gu. There was also a certain possibility that he had eliminated Ning Gu, so the most direct way to find Ning Gu was to forcibly check his memory, or even directly destroy him to prevent future troubles.
The best way for Lianchuan to protect itself is to stay away from the main city and refuse to accept investigation.
But what we know now is that he fought hard to come back after escaping from the control of the main city.
Why
Minister Chen, however, ignored the danger and insisted on talking to Lian Chuan first...
It's hard for him to accept the fact that coercive measures are not the best option.
"Why?" Xiao Lin said, "I need a reason."
"Until it is confirmed that Lian Chuan can be replaced, he is the only one." Minister Chen said and turned to walk towards the door.
Liu Dong followed Minister Chen without saying a word.
Xiao Lin looked at the backs of the two people: "I now have reason to doubt."
Liu Dong paused, but Minister Chen continued to move forward without stopping.
"The City Affairs Department and the Training Department," Xiao Lin said, "are hiding something from the Internal Defense Department."
"Commander Xiao," Liu Dong turned his head, "everyone should do their job. Don't make assumptions out of thin air."
The tip of Lian Chuan's knife was still stuck in the patrol captain's neck, and the black blade was clearly visible. In order to avoid harm caused by the movement of the knife tip, the captain walked very carefully.
Lian Chuan had never looked closely at the wound. He had completed tasks of various degrees of control, killing, destruction, and recycling, but he had never looked closely at how the wound slowly expanded and how a person turned into debris in an instant.
He deliberately avoided any details that would affect his judgment and stayed sober.
The patrol team and the cleanup team had never had any contact, and he didn't even know the captain's name.
This is the longest time he has faced the controlled object, from the A1 intersection in area C to the A1 intersection in area A.
The streets were cleared of pedestrians, with eyes hiding behind curtains and door cracks. All intersections were flashing orange and red lights. Reinforcements from city guards and patrols had arrived. Except on celebration days, the lights in the taverns in the main city would not flash such a dazzling light.
The blue light was above all the buildings, A01 was suspended in the air, and the cleanup team followed all the way. They were a special team that was originally invisible to the main city. With the experience of Li Liang being injured before, all their weapons were opened, and any kill would cause them to open fire collectively.
Lian Chuan knew that Minister Chen would agree to meet him, and he could roughly guess two points.
In addition to the unconventional cooperation with the ghost town, another level of cooperation is one or two of the three parties: city affairs, internal defense, and training. If all three parties knew about it, he might not have the chance to get here. After all, he has no equipment and no assistance. If all the city guards and patrols are dispatched, it will be a fierce battle even if there is a cleanup team.
If Minister Chen did not participate in the cooperation on this secret experiment, it means that he already had doubts and needed to talk to him before the other party did.
However, Lian Chuan had other plans. He did not want to be led by these people again and again. He would work hard throughout his life to prove that he was qualified and that he had value to the main city. And when he finally had to prove it with his life, that would be the last step he would take.
Any possibility of threatening my life must be eliminated.
Every inch behind me now is death.
I will carry out the safety rules you have engraved on me to the end.
There was a flash of orange light in the room on the second floor on the left. This was not a flash that changed angle as he moved, but the light emitted when the weapon entered the final gear and was ready to fire.
Lian Chuan didn't hesitate. He grabbed the captain's collar and pulled him back. He raised his knee from the right back and kicked the captain's right arm. The weapon fixed on his arm was kicked up as well, drawing a half circle in the air and pointing to the left.
Before the captain could react, Lian Chuan had already grasped his hand and pressed the firing button of the weapon.
An orange beam of light shot towards the second-floor window, making a loud bang.
There was a commotion at the scene, and the cleanup teams in the air on both sides quickly gathered around Lianchuan, with all their weapons raised.
Xiao Lin's voice came from the captain's intercom: "Don't do anything without orders!"
Lian Chuan let go of the captain's hand.
Minister Chen stood at the entrance of the City Affairs Office and turned his head to glance at Xiao Lin next to him: "Tell your people not to act rashly. No one is faster than Lian Chuan. Don't waste resources in vain."
"Got it." Xiao Lin said in a calm voice.
Lian Chuan appeared in the small square in front of the City Affairs Hall. Instead of taking the small path next to it, he walked on the main avenue in the middle, facing the main gate of the City Affairs Hall.
"Start it?" asked the technician behind him.
"Start." Minister Chen walked out of the door slowly and looked at Lian Chuan who was walking step by step behind the patrol captain.
Lianchuan pushed the captain away and put the knife back to his leg.
The distance between him and Minister Chen was now such that he could deliver a fatal blow before any weapon could be fired, so no one would risk attacking him again.
He climbed the steps.
Minister Chen looked at him calmly.
When his foot landed on the third step, Lian Chuan suddenly felt a huge pain coming from under his feet. This familiar pain that could quickly spread throughout his body was like a nightmare when he was awake. It brought back memories that could drag Lian Chuan into the abyss. The fear and despair of every training session that was engraved in his bones came instantly with this pain.
He staggered, knelt on one leg on the steps, supported himself with his hands, and big drops of cold sweat dripped onto the ground.
Chun San was standing far away from the gate and could only vaguely see Lian Chuan's figure suddenly stop.
The training device was placed outside the gate and started up. Once Lian Chuan stepped on it, the great pain brought by the endless training would come back again.
Minister Chen believed that no matter what the reason was for Lian Chuan to see him, Lian Chuan needed to find his own position clearly, no matter what he had experienced or what changes he had undergone in the Lost Valley.
Now Lian Chuan, who dared to rush into the City Affairs Hall and threaten the main city, needs to regain his identity as the "only one who is compatible with Betelgeuse" in this pain.
"Ah—" Ning Gu hugged his head and curled up on the ground.
The intense pain all over his body felt as if it was torn apart, making it difficult for him to breathe. He even felt nothing when he hit the wall of the cave hard.
It just hurts.
It hurts everywhere.
This kind of pain was so familiar that even when his consciousness was a little blurred due to the pain, he could still immediately judge that the pain belonged to Lian Chuan.
But this time, he could see nothing and hear nothing.
He was not asleep and had no contact with Lian Chuan.
Lianchuan, what's wrong with you
Ning Gu rested his head on the ground. The sharp corners of the black iron ground scratched his forehead, but he felt nothing. Pain, fear, despair...
Lianchuan, where are you? What happened to you
"Lianchuan—" Ning Gu roared, his voice hoarse with anger.
You unlucky dog...
When Lian Chuan suddenly raised his head, Minister Chen was a little surprised.
Although he couldn't see his eyes behind the goggles, the anger he exuded was something he had never seen before. Lian Chuan had been living in despair and endurance during training since he hadn't learned how to be angry...
When Lian Chuan escaped from the range of the training device and arrived in front of him at a speed he could not see clearly, he was still in shock.
Lian Chuan pressed his fingers against his throat: "Minister Chen."
"You're back." Minister Chen said with difficulty.
"I want to see the administrator." Lian Chuan said.
"What?" Minister Chen looked at him in surprise, his voice becoming fluent.
"Right now." Lian Chuan said.
Ning Gu was lying on the ground. He didn't know when he came out of the exit of Lost Valley, nor did he know whether it was time to come out.
Anyway, now he is lying on the Black Iron Wasteland. After the huge pain disappeared, he has been lying here, looking at the black fog in the sky.
When the pain on his back became unbearable, he slowly stood up.
Apart from that exit, there was nothing around and it was pitch black. He stood there and looked into the distance for a long time before he finally saw a small, faint white light.
That should be the direction of the main city.
He tugged at his clothes, stretched his arms and legs, and walked over there.
Although the ghost town becomes equally dark once you step out of the shelter, with strong winds blowing all year round and indigenous people appearing in the wind at any time, compared to the Black Iron Wasteland that is so quiet that it seems frozen in the darkness, the ghost town still makes people feel safer.
Now, whether it was the friction of clothes or the collision of the metal guards on his shoes hitting the raised ground, it would make him nervous.
Have to go again.
I don’t know how long it will take.
The last time I came to the main city, I ran endlessly, and this time I walked endlessly.
I have been looking forward to coming to the main city for so many years, and this is the treatment I get in the end.
He didn't know how long he had been walking, but his stomach was aching with hunger. He was so hungry that he wanted to take off his clothes and eat them. The light of the main city was clearly visible, but it was still very far away.
Ning Gu stopped. There were many exits of Lost Valley near the main city, and there might be people waiting there.
Just as he was considering which direction would be safer to go, he heard a noise behind him.
Not his clothes, not his shoes.
Not even footsteps.
It was... a deep growl coming from the throat...
Like the kind you occasionally hear in the dark fog of a ghost town.
He turned his head sharply and clenched his fists.
But I saw a pair of round eyes in the darkness, reflecting the light of the main city in the distance.
These are not human eyes.
"Caraculata?" Ning Gu was stunned. "You are Lianchuan's caracal!"
The round eyes slowly moved closer, and he finally vaguely saw the brown-black fur and two pointed ears with tassels above the eyes.
"Are you here to look for me?" Ning Gu took a step back cautiously, "I didn't hurt him. He went back to the main city! Did you know that?"
The caracal sat down and looked at him.
It's not the low-down offensive posture that I saw the first time.
Ning Gu breathed a sigh of relief, carefully moved closer to it, and squatted in front of it: "Hey, are you wandering without an owner?"
The caracal looked at him.
"Lian Chuan said that he would ask his boss to pick me up after he returns," Ning Gu stared at the caracal. He had never seen an animal before, let alone such a close distance. He could see the beard on the caracal's face. "Why don't you come with me? When his boss comes, he will take you back."
The caracal blew out a breath through its nose.
Ning Gu moved closer curiously: "You can still sigh?"
The caracal bared its teeth at him.
"Hey, don't!" Ning Gu quickly took several steps back, frowning, "What should I do? I don't know when his boss will come, or whether he can come at all. Now..."
Ning Gu stopped talking halfway, stared at the caracal for a long time, and finally couldn't help but ask in shock: "Are you the boss?"